December 30th

 

OUR DRIVE BACK to town was quiet. The emotional wall that had been built up brick by brick had been bulldozed, the path to the future now clear of all obstacles. As Grace took the exit from the highway, I reached over for her hand. She held it tight while managing the road. We approached the town’s lonely signal light. She pulled to a stop even though there was no traffic. I brushed my thumb against her knuckle. She glanced up at me, a smile teasing at the corner of her lips. One day, I told myself, I would kiss that beautiful smirk of hers. Tomorrow night, I would have her in my arms for hours. The thought brought a smile to my face, a smile I didn’t bother to hide. From now on, I would let her see how happy she made me. I wanted to be the person to make her smile in the way she deserved. I wanted her to see it was okay to be happy.

The car honking behind us jarred us both back to reality. She eased on the gas, releasing a quiet giggle. It wasn’t long before we turned into the station parking spot and pulled up next to my truck. I was still holding her hand. I noticed she was staring at our hands again. When she peered up at me, her brows furrowed but the smirk still teased her lips. It was clear all of this was still confusing for her, but I could tell she was ready.

“Just call or text if you need anything,” I told her. “I’ll come right over.”

She rolled her eyes. “We’ll be fine, Wyatt.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I will be. Just text me anyway and let me know y’all are okay.”

She nodded. I gave a final, reassuring squeeze of her hand and let it go. I opened the car door and got out. If I stayed any longer, I would never leave and we’d both be late for work. I started to walk away before realizing she wasn’t pulling away. I turned and saw her sitting in her car, waiting. I waved for her off. Her smirk spread into a full grin. I stood fixed in place, refusing to turn away until I saw her reverse from the parking spot and pull away, driving off down Main Street.

I crossed the empty street and stared up into the sky. Behind the grey clouds, I could feel the sun trying to push its way through. I approached the building and pulled open the glass door. I walked into the station wearing a huge grin and a well-pressed shirt, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything except Grace.

“Somebody’s happy.”

I glanced over at Charley and winked. I didn’t need to elaborate. I’d only kissed Grace’s head three times in the past ten hours, but I was walking around like I got laid just as many times. I knew I had a job to do, and I knew that job involved catching a murderer, but dammit, I just wanted to be happy for once. I turned down the hall and walked into my office. Of course, Lara was already there.

“How’d it go last night, partner?” She looked up from her files.

I continued to grin. “It went very well, I think.”

“Oooo…” She leaned in, resting her elbows on top of the files and giving me her full attention. “Any details?”

“We held hands,” I replied, dropping into my chair.

“Um …” She stared at me, waiting for me to elaborate. When I didn’t, she prodded me. “And?”

“And … I kissed the top of her head.”

“You kissed the top of her head?”

“Three times.” I grinned.

“Three times?”

“Yep.”

She leaned back in her chair. “And that’s why you look like a giddy school girl?”

“Yep.”

“How long have you been working on this?”

“Since last night.”

“So…” She leaned forward. “This isn’t a thing that’s been going on for a few months?”

“No, no.” I shook my head and stopped. “Well, perhaps, but I really didn’t realize there was any reciprocation until a few days ago.”

“You didn’t realize it?” She shook her head before looking back down at the files. “I’ll never understand men.”

“Where are we with finding Erica Gunter’s father?” I steered the conversation toward the task at hand.

“I put in a request for her birth certificate a few minutes ago. Hopefully, we’ll have a copy soon.”

“Well, we already know she had her mother’s last name, indicating the father really wasn’t a part of her life in any meaningful way.”

“He could’ve been after the inheritance, though. There’s a motive, at least.”

“I just can’t understand how someone could kill their own child for money.”

“I’ve seen it before. It’s not that uncommon.”

“Really?”

“It’s about time this small town catches up with the rest of the world.”

She looked as if she were about to say more, but stopped when her computer dinged, alerting her to a new email. She clicked it open.

“Eddie Williams,” she said, typing into her computer. “He works as a mechanic at a truck dealership in Hildebran.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go talk to him.”

I leapt from my chair and hurried toward the door as Lara put on her coat and grabbed her files on the way out. We walked into the lobby where we found Charley peering over the desk.

“Charley, tell the Sheriff we’re heading out to Hildebran to talk to Erica’s father,” Lara said.

Charley silently nodded with narrow eyes focused on Lara.

“I have no idea why she’s so skeptical of me,” Lara said once we’d left the building.

“I’ve noticed that,” I said as we climbed into the police cruiser. “I’ve honestly never seen her like that with anyone. She’s usually very welcoming.”

“Maybe it’s a girl thing,” Lara offered as I pulled out of the parking spot and headed toward the highway. “I’m trying to be friendly.”

“Well, you’re not very approachable.”

Lara closed the file and straightened her back. “What do you mean? There’s nothing wrong with me.”

“You’ve only been here a couple of days. You’re not going to adjust to small town living that quickly. And the town won’t adjust to you fast either. Maybe when all of this is over, we can go out and everyone can get to know you better.”

“Do you think that would work?”

“It wouldn’t hurt if you wore a uniform instead of dressing like you work for the FBI.”

“No. I draw the line there. I will not be seen in that khaki get-up.”

“Come on, Atlanta. You gotta give a little here.”

“And I will, but not when it comes to fashion.”

“You should meet Caleb’s sister-in-law. She owns a boutique.”

“Oh, my God, he knows Ellie Harris? Do you know how big she is in Atlanta?”

I could only laugh. I didn’t bother telling her that Caleb’s wife worked at the boutique as well.

“So, what’s our angle here?” I asked to keep from participating in a discussion about southern fashion.

“We just need to find out if Eddie Williams had any kind of relationship with his daughter.”

“Well, we didn’t think she had a relationship with her uncle, and she obviously did. It’s possible she had a relationship with her father.”

“It just surprises me that she didn’t share anything about her life with any of her friends. Her roommate didn’t know about Erica’s relationships with her family. The bartender Jeremy didn’t know much of her either.”

“How is that surprising?” I asked.

“Most girls at least have that one person they confide in.”

I pulled off the highway and onto a service road. Surrounded by trees in the middle of nowhere, a modern facility with walls made of glass overlooking a row of twenty shiny trucks. We parked alongside one of these massive trucks, and as I got out of the car, I gazed up at a bright red rig with Freightliner emblazoned on the side.

Lara sighed. “Boys and their semis. Come on, Wyatt.”

I nodded and walked toward the building, occasionally glancing back to stare at the truck. Lara pulled open the door and we walked in, but stopped in front of a fully enclosed yet empty reception desk. A woman got up from her desk in the back office, entered through a door, and stood behind the reception area. Her boots clicked against the tile floor when she moved, her short skirt showed off her curves. If I weren’t already in love, I would definitely become a truck driver just so I had an excuse to come back here.

“Hi, can I help you?” she asked as she pushed her glasses up higher on her nose.

“Are you in sales?” I asked.

“No.” She laughed. “But I can get you the sales manager.”

“We actually need to see Eddie Williams,” Lara interrupted, flashing her badge. I didn’t have to flash a badge since I was wearing the dreaded khaki uniform.

“Oh …” She glanced between the two of us before picking up the phone.

“There are two cops here to see Eddie,” she spoke into the receiver. “Yes, I’ll do that.”

She hung up the phone and walked through the door behind her. Once more, her boots clicked against the tiles as she walked up the hallway and into the lobby.

“If you would come with me, I’ll show you to the conference room.” She was polite, but tense. She guided us to a room at the end of the hall. “He should be with you shortly. Please help yourself to some coffee.”

She left us there, closing the door behind her. Once Lara heard it click shut, she spun around, her hands on her hips. “Did you forget about Grace already?”

“Don’t be stupid. I can still appreciate a nice-looking woman.”

“Really, Wyatt …” She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

I shrugged, glancing around at the posters of 18-wheelers lining the room. Lara sat at the conference table to read over a file she had probably memorized by now. It wasn’t long before the door opened again. In walked a clean-shaven man with his face and hands covered in grease.

“Eddie Williams?” Lara asked.

“Is this about my daughter?” he asked, using a rag to protect the knob from grease as he closed the door behind him. He wiped off his hands and added, “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer not to sit. This is a new facility and I don’t want to dirty the new furniture.”

“That’s fine, Mr. Williams,” I began as I walked between him and Lara, who sat at the head of the table. I rested my hands on the back of a chair. “When did you hear about the death of your daughter, Erica Gunter?”

“My wife called when she saw it on the TV.” Tears streaked through the grease on his cheeks. “I took a few days off work. Today is my first day back.”

“Mr. Williams—” Lara began.

“Please,” he cut her off. “Call me Eddie.”

“Eddie, how close were you with your daughter.”

“As close as a shunned person could be, I guess.”

Lara and I exchanged the same glance we shared when speaking to Erica’s uncle.

“Can you explain?” I asked.

“Her mother and I were crazy about one another, but her family refused to allow us to get married. I guess they didn’t see a mechanic who dropped out of high school as someone fit to take care of her and a newborn baby. Her brother would have scalped me had he known I was involved in any way.”

“Scalped? That’s a bit derogatory, Mr. Williams,” Lara insisted.

“I have nothing but respect for the Cherokee, but that man threatened to kill me if I didn’t leave his family alone.” He shook his head. “I remember that day clearly. Ama had just given birth and I was in the viewing area, staring at my little girl. He walked up to me and told me I was worthless. He said Ama and his niece deserved a life better than what I could provide. His threats were so fierce that Ama later refused to marry me. She loved me so much she was willing to push me away to save my life.”

“So, you never saw your daughter? Didn’t have any kind of relationship with her?” I asked.

He reached behind him and pulled out his wallet, flipping it open as he handed it to me. There were at least eight pictures of him and his daughter in various stages of growing up. A few of the pictures included Erica’s mother, Ama, but there was only one picture of Erica, standing alone and smiling for the camera.

“I was as much a part of her life as I was allowed to be. Ama hated it too. She never married and neither did I until a few years ago, after Ama had passed. Erica was the one who told me it was time to move on and find happiness.”

I thought of Chloe, and of the night she’d said almost the exact same thing to me. Part of me hoped she would repeat those words to her mother later tonight.

“When was the last time you saw your daughter, Eddie?” Lara asked.

“Christmas day. She was excited about nursing school. I was excited for her. I didn’t want her to grow up not having a future like her old man. I do well for myself now, and can support my family, but she was so smart. She was destined for greater things.” He teared up again. “I told her she should go to medical school and become a doctor, but her heart was just so big. She wanted to be able to help people more.” He sniffled and tried to contain his tears. “I just want y’all to find the bastard who did this. Regardless of what her uncle thought of me, I was the best father I could be to that girl given my situation. She was my life.”

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Williams,” Lara said as she rose from the chair.

“Do you know when they’ll release her body? I bought a plot right next to her mother’s. I would like to bury her there. Hopefully, Dakotah won’t object too much. She needs to be buried next to her mother.”

“I’ll let you know, Eddie.” I held out my hand to him. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

He shook my hand and nodded his gratitude. He wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve before walking out of the conference room.

“Should we question the wife?” Lara asked.

I shook my head. “This feels like we’re going in the wrong direction.”

“Which direction should we be looking in then?”

“I don’t know, but this feels a lot like square one.”